


Pictures of Possibilities

by Writers_clock



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Cute, Edeleth, F!Byleth, F/F, Fluff, Nightmares, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Storytelling, Study Date, Werewolf AU, Werewolf Byleth, Werewolf but cute, no beta we die like Glenn, one shots, sleepy gfs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27094501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_clock/pseuds/Writers_clock
Summary: A series of one-shots staring Fire Emblem characters, mainly f/f ships. Some sad, some happy. Roll the dice.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 59





	1. Silver Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Edelgard and Byleth finally meet after five years, but things don’t go how they expect them too.  
> Silver snow route.
> 
> This first story contains a lot of sadness and Edelgard not caring if she lives or dies.  
> It contains major character death too.  
> Read at your own risk.

“You’re alive.” Edelgard’s words were swallowed by the silence between them. Byleth had always talked less, always watched and waited. Still, Edelgard felt the silence was heavier now. 

Byleth nodded. Edelgard glanced down hesitantly. She had waited for this moment for five years. Five years of wondering what she could’ve changed. Five years of regret. Perhaps it was her regret that caused this aching, this hole inside her.

She knew it wasn’t.

“I… suppose you’re not sympathetic to my cause,” she said finally. Her words weren’t enough to express the anguish inside. All the same, Byleth seemed to understand. She took a cautious step forward before speaking.

“I never said I wasn’t sympathetic,” she replied. Edelgard knew better, but her heart still soared. The pity in Byleth’s eyes was not what she wanted to see. The way those fingers curled around the Sword of the Creator.

“Just not supportive,” Edelgard finished for her. Byleth may have been stone-faced, but she couldn’t hide the truth. “I understand, my teacher.” She smiled, refusing to allow her sadness to show. “The next time we meet, it will be on a battlefield.” She turned to leave.

“Wait,” Byleth called. Edelgard paused, but didn’t turn. She refused to see that pitiful look again. “Why… why are you doing this?”

This hadn’t been quite what she expected. Edelgard turned, tilting her head at the woman before her. “The system is broken beyond repair, and the church is at the center of it all.”

“Then why did my father have to die?” Byleth asked.

This time, Edelgard welcomed the silence. It was better than the anger she was sure to follow. “I didn’t want him to die,” she said carefully. “I have to work with certain people, people I hate as much as you do. They killed him.”

“Why don’t you just leave them then?” Byleth’s tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t soft either.

“I can’t.” Edelgard shook her head. She wished, oh how she wished she could. “But with your power - with the Sword of the Creator - I might not have to work with them.” She stopped herself from extending her hand. 

Byleth’s face grew softer with pity, pity that Edelgard despised. “I thought you might say that.” She sighed, removing her fingers from the sword. “You’re not a bad person, Edelgard,” she added after a minute of silence.

She almost laughed at that. “I’m not a bad person?” Edelgard couldn’t count how many times she had dreamed of that reassurance. She had wanted it so badly, but not like this. “If I don’t work with them, I have no power. Without power, I can’t change the world for the better. I don’t care if you see me as a tyrant or a villain. You can rebrand me however you please, but don’t pretend I’m something I’m not.”

“So you think you’re a bad person,” Byleth deadpanned. Was she imagining this, or was there a hint of anger in her voice? “If you know history is going to be unkind, why doesn’t that change your actions?”

“History that has been rewritten by a, a...an archbishop?” Edelgard spat. “History will always be unkind by those who changed it at some point or another.”

Byleth stared. “If everyone brands you a monster, it doesn’t mean you are one,” she said finally. “But if you act monstrous to people who care about you, you become one.”

“People who care about me?” Edelgard would’ve laughed. “You? Our classmates?” Byleth nodded. “Spare me. We know how this will end. You kill me, or I kill you. Does that make us monsters or heroes? It doesn’t matter. We all die anyway.”

“You know what, Edelgard?” Byleth snapped. Edelgard turned to see unsheathed anger. “I wish I hadn’t saved you that day.”

A bullet through the heart. A glass sword, shattering inside her skin. The hole inside her collapsed, every scar she had received reopened, every tear she had shed clawed at her.

But Edelgard simply walked away.

“I heard that you had a talk with your old professor,” Arundel said quietly when she returned to the base. A warning. A threat. Edelgard swallowed, ignoring the automatic fear that spiked when she heard that voice.

“What of it?” Edelgard questioned.

“I also heard you said that with her power, you wouldn’t need us anymore,” Arundel purred. He grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Perhaps it is you who has outlived your usefulness.”

Edelgard waited for the fear to rise up and take control, forcing her to apologize. If not, then the anger, the emotion that would end in her death. But there was nothing but the echoes of that conversation.

“Perhaps,” she said at last. A small smile graced her lips. “Maybe you should just kill me.” She would fulfil her purpose. The world would unite under Byleth once she was gone, and Byleth was kind. Byleth would be better off without her.

“Maybe we should.” Arundel dropped her chin. “Maybe we should remind you what made you powerful. We still have experiments to run, after all.”

The fear bubbled, but died away. There was nothing left for her. “Do what you must.”

“Any news on Edelgard?” Byleth questioned Seteth. It had been two weeks since she had that conversation with the emperor, and no one had seen her since. “It’s strange for her to just disappear.”

“Strange, but overall good,” Seteth reminded her. “She’s probably planning something big, and we need to be prepared.”

“Right.” Byleth couldn’t let it show that she was worried. She was a general, after all. It didn’t stop her from caring about her former ally, a fact that she knew would not go over well with her army.

“Sir!” One of the soldiers rushed into Seteth’s office. Byleth barely spared him a glance as she continued to look over her paperwork. “We have news on the Emperor!”

Byleth’s head snapped up at that. Seteth gave her a curious look, but nodded at the soldier. “Continue.”

“We received word from our spies that she… is dead,” the soldier said, giving Byleth a fearful look. Byleth did her best to calm the storm raging beneath her skin. “It appears she was killed by her own mages.”

“Those Who Slither In The Dark,” Byleth realized aloud. Seteth furrowed his brow and started to ask her something, but Byleth was already running from the room.

She had told Edelgard to leave them. Told her she didn’t need them, told her…

Told Edelgard that Byleth wished she’d never saved her.

Regret is a funny thing. It slips between cracks, settles into the space between insecurities. It waits, and it waits, until it turns into guilt, until it shatters.

Byleth knew it was her fault.

Nothing could ever fix that.


	2. Storytelling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A modern AU where Byleth tells Edelgard about the short story she’s writing.

“I know we said we need to study for the upcoming exam, but…” Edelgard trailed off as Byleth looked up. They were both sitting in Byleth’s dorm, and were supposed to be on a study date.

“But you're bored?” Byleth questioned, a smile growing on her face. 

“Precisely.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve been writing about complete nonsense for the past thirty minutes.” Byleth stared at her in-progress short story. Edelgard knew her girlfriend was under a lot of stress with this writing competition coming up, and felt a little guilty about requesting a break. But if she had to look at statistics and incomprehensible paragraphs for another minute, she might scream.

“I have an idea,” Edelgard said slowly. “Why don’t you tell me about your story? That way you can organize some of your thoughts and I can take a break.”

Byleth hesitated. Edelgard had expected that. Byleth had always been secretive about her writing. But finally, she nodded and hopped on her bed, gesturing for Edelgard to join her.

Edelgard snuggled in before asking, “What’s it about?”

Byleth’s voice was a little quiet, a little far away. “A far away land. They don’t have phones or anything, and train in combat at a school.”

“Wish I could learn about combat instead of studying business,” Edelgard muttered. Byleth smiled, stroking Edelgard’s hair.

“And… It's about a princess. She goes to this school, but she’s actually plotting.” Byleth fell silent, and Edelgard nodded to encourage her to continue. “Her goal is to create a world where… everyone is equal, and no one is defined by their… from their birth.”

Edelgard nodded. “I mean she is the princess. She can do that.” Byleth was hesitant again, something Edelgard found a little strange. Byleth was always so passionate about her writing. So full of life. 

“But the princess is under the control of some very terrible people,” Byleth told her. “And she can’t get free, or they’ll kill her.”

“Sounds like your protagonist is having a rough time,” Edelgard murmured. She didn’t know if it was the sheer exhaustion, or Byleth’s soothing voice, but she felt herself drifting closer and closer to sleep. Byleth’s fingers stroked her hair gently.

“She is,” Byleth agreed. “And the way she’s going to bring about a better world… is wage a war.”

“A war?” Edelgards voice was a little muffled now as she buried her face in a pillow. “Why would she do that? Seems a little uncalled for.”

“She knew it was the only way to make a difference,” Byleth argued. She seemed to be trying to convince herself of this. “And her… her lover didn’t see this, and fought against her in the war.”

“That’s a bit rude, but understandable,” Edelgard said, closing her eyes. Sleep called to her, louder and louder with every second that passed

“It’s okay now though,” Byleth rushed on. “Because the lover sacrificed all of her power, and gave them a happy ending in a new world.” She looked down at her girlfriend, who was fast asleep. Byleth leaned down and whispered, “She’s going to make sure the princess is happy and safe, no matter what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but a lot less sad. Thank you for reading!


	3. Werewoof!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the full moon again, and Byleth dreads the transformation... because she knows Edelgard will make fun of her for barking at a mirror for twenty minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short werewolf fic where the wolf is cute instead of angsty.

It was that time again. The full moon. Edelgard watched her girlfriend with an unreadable expression. Byleth always hated the transformation. 

Because of this, she was giving Edelgard the cold shoulder.

“It won’t be so bad this time, I promise,” Edelgard almost lied. Edelgard had told Byleth she would be better.

“Hmm” was all Byleth had to say. She tapped her fingers nervously, staring out the window of their house. Edelgard took Byleth’s hands in her own, giving her a smile.

Byleth huffed.

“And there it is,” Edelgard murmured as the full moon fully rose above the horizon. She took a step back, grabbing the chicken McNuggets they’d gotten from McDonald’s earlier in preparation.

Byleth’s pain-filled groans slowly turned into whimpers as she dug her hands into her head. Edelgard knew the transformation would begin in three… two… one…

Poof!!

A very adorable, very blue, and very angry wolf pup crawled out from under Byleth’s clothes. She immediately began barking, running on her little legs to where Edelgard sat on their bed. She paused at the impressive height, several times larger than her tiny puppy size.

“Aww… you got this!” Edelgard gave her a thumbs up. She could’ve sworn the puppy glared. Byleth backed up a little, then took a running jump at the bed.

On the third try, Edelgard simply caught Byleth in her hands and placed her on the bed. Byleth immediately went for the McNuggets, yipping in delight. Edelgard couldn’t help but giggle. Byleth gave her another glare.

“I’m not recording this time,” Edelgard promised. “No matter how much I’m tempted.” Byleth didn’t look convinced, but was too focused on the chicken to care.

Edelgard stood and pulled a box of dog toys out from under the bed. There were balls, chew toys, fake bones, stuffed animals… honestly, Edelgard would pay to be a dog. No issues, playtime, cuddles…

“What do you wanna do today, By?” Edelgard asked, her voice dangerously close to teasing. “Chew toys? Fetch? I won’t pretend to throw the ball this time.” 

Byleth looked suspicious, but her ears perked up and tail began to wag. Edelgard waved a tiny toy dragon in front of the puppy, who immediately pounced on it. Edelgard had to stifle her giggles as Byleth growled, bit, and wrestled the dragon.

“As long as you don’t tear up the sheets,” she smiled, laying back down. Byleth, having worn herself out, plopped directly onto Edelgard’s stomach.

“You’re pretty cute as a puppy,” Edelgard observed. “Of course, you’re cute as a human too.”

Byleth barked.

“Quiet down now, I’ve had a long day,” Edelgard yawned. Byleth stood and curled up near Edelgard’s face.

Edelgard smiled as she drifted into a dreamless slumber.


	4. Cups of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea wants to get to know her quiet roommate, but Edelgard isn’t shy for the reasons Dorothea thinks she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote an Edelgard/Dorothea for a change of pace. If you have any f/f fire emblem pairings you’d like a fic of, requests are open! Thank you for reading!

Dorothea liked Edelgard. She really did: Edelgard was the best roommate a girl could hope for. Clean, quiet, friendly, and did not know how to cook for one. Or very well at all, but she tried.

But as much as she liked her… could she even say she knew much about Edelgard? They went to the same university. Edelgard was a psych major. But other than that… practically nothing.

“Say, Edie, I think we should get to know each other better,” Dorothea stated one Saturday morning, handing Edelgard a cup of coffee. She did know how Edelgard liked her coffee: two sugars and cream. A sucker for a sweet tooth, it seemed.

“Why?” Edelgard asked bluntly. Dorothea blinked, and Edelgard rushed on. “I mean. Why are you asking now?”

“It occurred to me I know next to nothing about you, and I want to change that!” Dorothea flashed her award-winning smile. Edelgard blinked, her eyebrows creasing together.

“If you insist. What would you like to know?” Edelgard leaned against her propped up arm. Dorothea smiled nervously.

“Uhm… tell me about your family,” she suggested. It was an obvious go-to… or so it seemed. Edelgard’s face darkened.

“I had ten siblings who died in a freak accident,” she stated matter-of-factly. “My mother left, and my father died of cancer a year ago.”

Dorothea swallowed. “Shit. Sorry.” Well, Edelgard was going to hate her now. Maybe silence and indifference was for the best. 

Edelgard finished her boiling hot coffee in one gulp, setting the steaming cup back down with a pained look. “I’ll see you later.” 

As soon as Edelgard left Dorothea sighed, smacking her head on the table. “I done fucked up,” she groaned. She could never talk to Edelgard again. She’d have to go mute, speak only in sign language, avoid her at all costs…

She only had one thing left to do.

Dorothea dialed Hilda’s number. “Hey. I fucked up.”

Hilda sighed into the receiver. “I’ll meet you in the courtyard.” There was a following click as Hilda hung up.

Dorothea wasted no time in heading to the mostly empty courtyard, but Hilda was already there, sipping boba tea. “So what’s your problem?” She asked, patting the bench next to her.

Dorothea sat with a groan. “I’ve been trying to get to know my roommate Edie better, but it’s been failing miserably.”

“I can’t believe I’ve never met this roommate of yours,” Hilda scoffed. “You talk about her all the time. Sure you’re not in love with her?”

“Sure,” Dorothea snorted. “It’s like I’m roommates with a ghost! She’s quiet, seems nervous all the time, she’s never in the dorm…” she sighed. “I don’t know what to doooooo.”

“She sounds a little like my ex. Goddess, what a bitch,” Hilda sniggered. “She always acted so high and mighty.” Before Dorothea could reply, Hilda went pale. “Speak of the devil.” She stared down but nodded towards someone walking down the path.

Dorothea looked up and blinked. “Edie?”

“Dorothea?” Edelgard seemed just as bewildered. Her eyes narrowed as they settled on Hilda. “Hilda?”

“Edelgard?” Hilda gasped. She looked between Dorothea and Edelgard. “You guys know each other?”

“We’re roommates,” they chorused. Dorothea dug her nails into Hilda’s arm before she could say something else.

“Why don’t you introduce me to her, Dorothy?” Hilda purred, leaning against Dorothea and wrapping her arm around the girl's waist possessively.

“Maybe another time,” Dorothea gritted. She tried to shove Hilda off to no avail.

“Right.” Edelgard drifted off. Dorothea elbowed Hilda.

“Hey!”

“The fuck was that?”

“What?” Hilda crossed my arms. “She’s my ex!”

“And she’s my roommate,” Dorothea retorted, her face bright red. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait! Dorothea, it was a joke!” Hilda called as Dorothea stomped after Edelgard. “Dammit… you know you love me?”

Dorothea flipped her off, storming away.

Try as she might, Dorothea didn’t find Edelgard until they had both returned to their room. Well, Dorothea had returned; Edelgard was fast asleep.

Dorothea sighed. “Today is shitty,” she muttered, getting ready for bed. Pausing, she looked at Edelgard’s sleeping form. “I’m sorry about Hilda,” she continued, more to herself. “I don’t know why she’s being a bitch.”

“No…” a voice murmured.

Dorothea snapped her head up, looking around the room. She was positive they were the only ones there, and Edelgard was asleep, so…?

“Fath… sor…” No, Dorothea was certain this time. It was Edelgard. She crept towards the bed just as Edelgard twisted to reveal tears streaming down her face.

“Well, shit,” Dorothea muttered. Would the embarrassment at being woken outweigh suffering through this alone? She decided no, and gently shook Edelgard’s shoulders.

“Edie… Edie, it’s me,” she whispered. Edelgard awoke with a start, her eyes wide. “Shh… it’s okay.” Dorothea sat on the bed next to Edelgard, who was sitting up. “Are… are you okay?”

Edelgard buried her face in her hands, quietly shaking. “Don’t look at me, please,” she pleaded. “Don’t… I’m sorry.”

“Hey, Edie,” Dorothea hushed, taking Edelgard’s hands gently in her own. “I don’t…” she trailed off, unsure. “I’m not gonna turn away. And… and you don’t have to say anything,” she continued as Edelgard’s breathing began to even out. “Because I know that it’s hard to talk sometimes, and that you don’t even know me that well, but I do care about you, and I know that I don’t want to see you like this because I want to see you happy.”

Edelgard wiped her tears. “You must think I’m so silly,” she chuckled. “Crying over a stupid dream.”

“Never,” Dorothea assured her.

Edelgard was quiet for several moments. “I’m not trying to be the quiet girl or the cold girl,” she said softly. Her words came out in a rush, as if she had been waiting for a long time to say them but never had the courage. Dorothea stayed silent, knowing that interrupting would mean Edelgard would never bring up again. “I’m not trying to, it just happens. And I’m sorry for being nervous… but…”

Edelgard cradled Edelgard closer.

“But I like you,” she blurted. “And I get really nervous around you and always come up with an excuse to leave so you don’t see what a mess I am.”

Dorothea blinked.

“I’m sorry,” Edelgard muttered.

A slow smile grew on Dorothea’s face. “You don’t have to apologize,” she assured her. “And I’m sorry Hilda was being such a bitch earlier.” Edelgard made a face, and Dorothea chuckled. “I want you to know that I would kiss you right now, but it’s clear you’re in a vulnerable state and I wouldn’t want to take advantage of that.” Edelgard blushed all the way to her ears at that. Dorothea pressed her lips to Edelgard’s forehead. “But I will stay with you until you fall asleep again.”

“Thank you, Dorothea,” Edelgard whispered. Dorothea smiled.

Dating wasn’t the perfect way to get to know her quiet roommate, but it suited Dorothea just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> This one was sad so I’ll write a happier one next time. Maybe.


End file.
